Isolation of (Arg 8 )vasopressin from the neurophysin complex by free-flow continuous electrophoresis

Radioimmunoassay for arginine-vasotocin (AVT) in serum of Pekin ducks: AVT concentrations after adaptation to fresh water and salt water

A radioimmunoassay for arginine-vasotocin (AVT), the antidiuretic principle in birds, was developed using the high cross-reactivity of AVT with an AVP antiserum raised in rabbits. This assay is specific for the measurement of AVT in serum of birds. The sensitivity and precision is such that serum AVT concentrations above 0.5 fmol/ml can be measured quantitatively. A serum AVT concentration of 5.1 +/- 1.4 fmol/ml was found in normally hydrated, fresh water adapted ducks with a serum osmolality of 293.7 +/- 2.2 mosmol/kg. When the same animals were acutely hydrated, no or < 0.5 fmol/ml AVT was present at an osmolality of 289.8 +/- 2.4 mosmol/kg. In salt water adapted ducks with a serum osmolality of 333.0 +/- 7.6 mosmol/kg, a serum AVT of 22.7 +/- 3.0 fmol/ml was found. When fresh water adapted ducks were hydrated and infused with different doses of AVT, a linear relationship between serum AVT and the amount infused was obtained. During AVT infusions, serum osmolality and urine flow rate were negatively correlated and urine osmolality was positively correlated with serum AVT.

Adenylate cyclase responsiveness to hormones in various portions of the human nephron

The action sites for parathyroid hormone (PTH), salmon calcitonin (SCT), and arginine-vasopressin (AVP) were investigated along the human nephron by measuring adenylate cyclase activity, using a single tubule in vitro microassay. Well-localized segments of tubule were isolated by microdissection from five human kidneys unsuitable for transplantation. PTH (10 IU/ml) increased adenylate cyclase activity in the convoluted and the straight proximal tubule, in the medullary and cortical portions of the thick ascending limb, and in the early portion of the distal convoluted tubule (corresponding stimulated:basal activity ratios were 64, 19, 10, 18, and 22, respectively). SCT (10 ng/ml) increased adenylate cyclase activity in the medullary and cortical portions of the thick ascending limb, in the early portion of the distal convoluted tubule, and, to a lesser extent, in the cortical and the medullay collecting tubule (activity ratios were 7, 14, 15, 3, and 3, respectively). AVP (1 microM) stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in the terminal nephron segments only, i.e., the late portion of the distal convoluted tubule, the cortical and medullary portions of the collecting tubule (activity ratios 81, 51, and 97, respectively). As measured in one experiment, nearly one-half maximal responses were obtained with 0.1 IU/ml PTH or 0.3 ng/ml SCT in thick ascending limbs and with 1 nM AVP in collecting tubules, suggesting that enzyme sensitivity to hormones as well preserved under the conditions used in this study.

Production of porcine antibodies with high specificity to [8-D-arginine] deamino-vasopressin (dDAVP)

The development of a specific radioimmunoassay for [8-D-arginine] deamino-vasopressin (dDAVP) is described.

Functional segmentation of the rabbit distal tubule by microdetermination of hormone-dependent adenylate cyclase activity

Rabbit distal convoluted tubules (DCT) microdissected from collagenase-treated kidneys were observed to contain up to four portions of a different appearance under stereomicroscopic examination: (1) a DCTa portion (generally very short), located right after the macula densa (MD) and resembling the portion of the limb (CAL) located before the MD; (2) a constant, "bright" portion, DCTb; (3) a constant, "granular" DCTg portion which, in most DCT, is connected to a portion of the collecting tubule of a similar "granular" appearance (CCTg); (4) many DCT having contacts with the kidney capsule in the superficial cortex were observed to contain an additional portion of a "light" appearance, DCTl, resembling the portion of the collecting tubule (CCTl) to which these superficial DCT are always branched. The hormone-dependent adenylate cyclase (AC) contained in these different portions was investigated by sectioning microdissected distal structures into successive samples according to the above-mentioned criteria, and by measuring with the help of a previously described micromethod, the enzyme activity contained in each single sample under one of the following conditions: control, parathyroid hormone. (PTH l U/ml), vasopressin, (AVP 10(-6)M), isoproterenol (10(-6)M), fluoride (5 X 10(-3)M). Highly significant and reproducible AC stimulations by these hormones were obtained for the following portions, respectively: DCTa, DCTg and CCTg with PTH; DCTl and CCTl with AVP; DCTg, CCTg and CCTl with isoproterenol. From these data, it is concluded that (a) the distal convoluted tubule can no longer be regarded as a single well-defined functional structure; (b) DCTa is actually a short CAL portion extending beyond MD, (c) DCTg and CCTg are two portions of a same functional segment; (d) similarly, DCTl belongs to the functional segment mainly constituted by CCTl; and, finally, (e) DCTb is the only functional segment which is entirely located in the distal convoluted tubule, i.e., included between the macula densa and the first branching with another tubule.

Ontogenic development of antidiuretic hormone receptors in rat kidney: comparison of hormonal binding and adenylate cyclase activation

The development of adenylate cyclase responsiveness to vasopressin and parathyroid hormone was studied using membrane fractions prepared from medullo-papillary and cortical portions of kidneys of 2-46-day-old rats. The development of vasopressin binding capacity was followed on the same preparations, using [3H]vasopressin. The characteristics of medullo-papillary adenylate cyclase response to vasopressin were identical in young and adult control animals as regards apparent Km values for [Lys8]vasopressin (3 X 10(-8) M), specificity towards the natural neurohypophysial peptides and the effects of Mg2+. However, the magnitude of maximal enzyme activation by vasopressin was much lower in very young than adult animals. Accordingly vasopressin responsiveness increased sharply between the 10th and 25th days but the magnitude of the maximal response only reached the adult value between the 30th and 45th days after birth. During both periods basal adenylate cyclase activity was almost independent of age. Specific vasopressin binding sites were detected on kidney medullo-papillary membranes from young animals. Vasopressin binding capacity and adenylate cyclase responsiveness to the hormone followed similar development patterns. However, the appearance of specific binding sites slightly preceded the onset of adenylate cyclase responsiveness. Basal cortical adenylate cyclase activity/mg protein was 12 times higher in 2-day-old rats than in the adult controls. It dropped with age but only fell to the adult value between the 25th and the 35th days after birth. For the youngest animals tested (2 days old), the increase in activity due to parathyroid hormone was about half the increase measured in adults, and gradually rose to about 75% of the adult response between the 2nd and 46th days after birth. Apparent Km values for parathyroid hormone were identical in young and adult animals (3.2 and 3.0 U/ml, respectively).

Catecholamine sensitive adenylate cyclase activity in different segments of the rabbit nephron

The sensitivity to catecholamines of the adenylate cyclase (AC) activity contained in single tubule samples was investigated on 10 different well defined segments, isolated by microdissection from collagenase treated rabbit kidneys. No responsiveness to isoproterenol (10(-6) M) was observed in the proximal tubule (convoluted and straight portions), the thin descending and thick ascending limbs of the loop of Henle, and the first ("bright") portion of the distal convoluted tubule (DCTb); in contrast high responses (stimulation factors: 4 to 6 fold) were obtained in the second ("granular") portion of the distal convoluted tubule (DCTg), as well as in both the "granular" (CCTg) and the "light" (CCTl) portions of the cortical collecting tubule. In absolute value, however, the CCTl response was definitely lower than those measured in DCTg and CCTg, as is its control activity. In the medullary portion of the collecting tubule, the AC response to isoproterenol was rather poor both in absolute and relative terms. Dose-response curves measured on DCTg samples indicated a threshold response with an isoproterenol concentration below 10(-8) M; half maximal effect corresponded to about 3 x 10(-8) M. CCTl sensitivity to isoproterenol was of the same order of magnitude. Isoproterenol as well as norepinephrine effects in DCTg and CCTl were completely suppressed by 10(-4) M propranolol, indicating that the observed AC stimulation was mediated via receptors of the beta type. In beta blocked CCTl, 10(-6) M norepinephrine did not inhibit vasopressin-induced AC stimulation; in the presence of 10(-6) M norepinephrine, 10(-4) M phentolamine resulted in no additional AC stimulation in DCTg and CCTl; these data suggest the absence of alpha receptors inhibiting AC activity in these structures. In DCTg, AC stimulation induced either by 10(-6) M isoproterenol or by 1 U/ml PTH were observed to be additive when the two hormones were given together. The presence of catecholamine-dependent AC activity in three distal portions of the rabbit nephron is discussed in relation to its possible physiological implications.

Vasopressin dependent adenylate cyclase in single segments of rabbit kidney tubule

AVP dependent adenylate cyclase activity was measured in single pieces of 8 different tubular segments isolated from collagenase treated rabbit kidneys. High responses were observed in all the tested portions of the collecting tubule, that is its cortical branched part (BCT), its cortical straight part (CCT) and its outer medullary part (MCT). Dose response curves indicated in CCT: 2 fold threshold stimulation at 10(-11) M AVP, 27 fold stimulation at 10(-6) M AVP, half maximal stimulation at about 10(-9) M AVP. Both the medullary (MAL) and, to a lesser extent, the cortical (CAL) portions of the thick ascending limb were also observed to contain AVP sensitive adenylate cyclase (for MAL: 2 fold threshold stimulation at 10(-9) M AVP, 9 fold stimulation at 10(-7) M AVP, half maximal stimulation at 5 X 10(-9) M AVP). In contrast, nearly no responsiveness to AVP was observed in the proximal convoluted tubule, in the thin descending limb of the loop and in the distal convoluted tubule (DCT). The limited response obtained in DCT (which is a structure generally considered as a target site for AVP) as well as the clearcut effect elicited by AVP in MAL (the functioning of which is not known to be controlled by ADH) were expected observations; their possible physiological implications will be discussed.

Hydro-osmotic activity of "carba' analogues of oxytocin and [8-arginine] vasopressin on frog (Rana esculenta) bladder

The biological potency of neurohypophysial hormone analogues in stimulating water transport across the frog bladder (Rana esculenta) was estimated from the pD2 (negative logarithm of the peptide concentration eliciting 50% of its maximal hydroosmotic effect) and from the maximal response. Most analogues elicited maximal responses similar to those of the natural hormones. Both replacement of sulfur by a methylene group in the disulfide bridge and omission of the terminal amino group in oxytocin reduced hydroosmotic activity; carba substitution in oxytocin led to a greater drop in pD2 than the same substitution in deamino-oxytocin. On the contrary, the effects of substituting phenylalanine for tyrosine and of omitting the amino group were almost additive. Elimination of the carboxyl-terminal tripeptide sequence considerably reduced hydroosmotic potency; pressinamide was inactive up to 3 mug/ml. The highly potent antidiuretic peptides, deamino-[D-Arg8]vasopressin and deamino-6-carba-]D-Arg8]vasopressin, were weakly active in the hydroosmotic assay.

Activation of rat kidney adenylate cyclase by vasopressin analogues: lack of correlation with antidiuretic activity

Vasopressin analogues with enhanced antidiuretic activity in vivo (deamino-[D-arg8]-vasopressin, deamino-6-carba-[Orn8]-vasopressin, deamino-6-carba-[Arg8]-vasopressin, and deamino-6-carba-[D-Arg8]-vasopressin) were tested for their ability to activate rat renal medullary adenylate cyclase and compared to the natural antidiuretic hormones [Arg8]- and [Lys8]-vasopressin. The enzyme preparation used did not inactivate the vasopressins or the analogues tested. The analogues activated adenylate cyclase. However, several of them were far less effective than expected on the basis of their very high in vivo antidiuretic activity. It was concluded that the enhanced in vivo activity reflects greater metabolic stability in vivo rather than enhanced affinity for the renal antidiuretic hormone receptor.